Made In America Nissan Leaf Now In Production

Derek Kreindler
by Derek Kreindler

Nissan will make good on its $1.4 billion DOE loan, and finally start building the Leaf EV right here in America. In addition to the Leafs going off the assembly line, Nissan will also build the battery packs at a separate plant next door. Nissan hasn’t set production targets for the Smyrna, Tennessee plant, though Leaf sales have been flat over the last year, despite projections of them doubling.

Derek Kreindler
Derek Kreindler

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  • Blowfish Blowfish on Jan 11, 2013

    dont think prius are so hard on batt, since it will re-charge soon as engine ran, leafs EV only charge up when physically plugs into an outlet.

    • Herm Herm on Jan 13, 2013

      Prius batteries have proven to be bulletproof.. Honda Hybrids?, not so much. A Prius is probably the most reliable car sold in the US today..

  • Zoey212 Zoey212 on Jan 11, 2013

    Finally Nissan has started the production of their much awaited EV cars.The car has been a subject of attention since Nissan had declared that it would introduce auto parking mechanisms using 4 sensory cameras along with its other features.Nissan had been in a lot of hassle to launch this car but seems like they have finally made their breakthrough. http://jeffsmbz.com/

  • BrianL BrianL on Jan 11, 2013

    This is exactly what the Leaf need, more production capability!!! *face palm*

  • Polar Bear Polar Bear on Jan 11, 2013

    The massive media coverage of this car shows that publicity alone can't sell a product. The Leaf is too little too soon. Double the range and cut the price in half and the car will sell in numbers worthy of the hype - which should happen in about 20 years.

    • See 1 previous
    • RJM RJM on Jan 25, 2013

      @phxmotor The timing was excellent for my reading phxmotor's observations. I have been listening to a series of lectures on research into Nanotechnology. The most recent explained that using a silicon scaffolding to support the Lithium ions will lead to a storage capacity about 10 times (per pound) that of the current graphite system. Problem is that the influx of ions expands the volume of the silicon significantly. Just like a sidewalk that has been frozen and heated repeatedly, the expansion of the silicon leads to deterioration of the scaffolding. Nano tech to the rescue! Researchers at Stanford are working on producing the scaffolding in fine strands. The strands are attached to the electical contact similar to bristles on a brush, giving flexibility to expand and contract. If successful (big "if"), we could be looking at a big jump in range. Assume 5x capacity rather than 10. I own a Leaf (third car in the family). We get 50 freeway miles per 80% charge with a cushion. If that could be boosted to 250 miles, my wife's range anxiety could be significantly calmed.

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